And Then He's Falling
by ChocolateIsMyDoom
Summary: In which Annabeth's not the one about to fall into Tartarus, but Leo is. Will somebody save him, or will he fall alone? '"Then, to Leo, he smiled wickedly "I guess without us the world isn't going to fall to storm or fire"' T for 2 curse words. Now a multichap!
1. In Which He Falls

**So, I read a fic about Piper being the one dangling from the abyss, and Jason NOT falling for her, so I decided to write one of my own, in which Leo is the one falling to Tartarus.**

* * *

Leo bent down to pick up some of the pieces of the floor.

Who knew? He would build something, and you just can't waste good working material.

As he did so, he picked the large piece, and touched it.

Ouch. Why did his feet hurt so much?  
Maybe from all the standing of piloting the ship.

He sighed, and let the piece fall…

…to the abyss of darkness.

"Woah!" Leo said, getting away from that place.

Annabeth laugh half-heartedly "Yeah. Tartarus. Don't want anyone close to that"

Percy kissed her cheek as she talked, and Leo couldn't but feel a pang of envy in his heart. He wanted to have a girlfriend, to rely on someone as much as Percy and Annabeth did on each other.

"Did you know Annabeth and I almost got sucked by Tartarus when we were twelve?" Percy said, and Annabeth smiled "All because of one stupid shoe"

Leo couldn't connect the dots, but he decided not to ask. The couple needed to talk some stuff out. He went back to the ship, but, before he could, a voice called to him.

"_Leo"_ he turned around, but there was no one there. Strange, it had seemed like…

"_Leo, my baby,_"

"Mom!" shouted Leo, making way, checking everywhere.

Jason stared at him "Leo, you okay? There's nobody here"

Piper came down of the ship and put her hand on his arm, "Hey, Repair Boy–"

"_Leo, help me!"_

"It's her, Piper!" he yelled struggling out of her grasp, "It's my mother!"

He ran, and then he could see her, clear as day, standing in front of him, smiling, her arms open. He didn't even stop to think of how could she possibly be there. Happiness was all around him. He needed to get to her.

"Leo!" shouted Hazel, in alarm, like her heart was being torn out of her chest.

It was a sound of such agony, such alarm, that Leo stopped.

But not quickly enough.

Before he knew it, he was on the edge of the abyss to Tartarus, and it was sucking him in.

"HELP!" he yelled, and fell.

And fell.

And fell.

Wait. A rock.

He grabbed it as quickly as he could, breathing fast "Hazel, help!"

His mother was gone now, he confirmed as he looked around, a trick of Gaea's.

"Leo?" came the voice of Hazel "Are you alive?"

She sounded close to tears.

"YES!" Leo bellowed "I AM HERE! BUT THE PIT IS… IT'S MAKING ME GO DOWN!"

"Leo!" he heard Jason yell "How the hades did he fall?"

"Gaea" Piper whispered, and Leo noticed her voice sounded very far away "She tricked him into believing his mom was there"

He heard Annabeth crying out loud "Leooooo! Try to climb up! We can't risk getting any closer!"

"Wait. Leo's in _there_?" Frank's alarmed voice came.

He didn't hear anything, but someone must have nodded or something.

He heard everyone yelling at him, except Percy, he thought bitterly, he only cares about Annabeth.

He tried to climb, but he couldn't.

"I CAN'T CLIMB!" he yelled.

Instead of an answer, he heard "What are you _doing_, Percy? Are you completely _mad_?"

Leo was confused.

What was Fish Boy doing now? Eating a blue burger? He wouldn't be surprised.

And then, suddenly, a current of water grabbed him.

For a moment Leo panicked and held his breath, but in the end he just couldn't and had to suck some air in.

He was surprised when he could actually breathe.

The water started pulling him up, taking him back to his friends.

Leo sighed with relief. HE thought he was actually going to Tartarus.

Then his hand slipped.

The current held him for a second, and in that second he saw his friend's faces, Percy, concentrated on the water, Annabeth holding him so he wouldn't fall, Piper crying, Jason walking around, searching for a plan, Hazel screaming that Leo was falling, Frank comforting her.

And nobody except Hazel and Percy saw him slip.

He realized he was going to die, and it hit him hard.

In a split second he regretted not enjoying life, running away from foster homes instead of trying, not caring when Hazel's brother was in trouble, thinking bad of Percy, firing the ballistae on New Rome, killing his mom all those years ago.

All of it made sense now.

He was going to die, and those were just mistakes.

_I have to die like a hero_¸he realized, _I have to tell them to go on, to not mourn me_.

He bit back tears as the water began to dissipate "GOODBYE, CONTINUE THE MISSION WITHOUT ME!"

He saw Nico di Angelo waking up, groggy, and watched his eyes widen as he caught sight of Leo.

Leo closed his eyes.

The water disappeared. He heard Percy cry out to Jason one last time.

He prepared himself to die.

But he didn't. He was just the same as five seconds ago.

"What?" he opened his eyes to see Percy, holding his toolbelt, tears in his eyes, and Jason, holding Percy, and Hazel sobbing with relief.

"You're not going to die on us, Leo" Percy said, smiling.

Leo was proud to have friends like these, and he loved their friendship and depended on them more than he could imagine.

"Thanks, now could you bring me back up? I'm not exactly on the most comfortable place" he joked.

Jason suddenly winced "Hey, Percy! I can't hold on"

Leo groaned, then sighed.

"Two people is too much, and your shoe is not enough for another person to help me hold it!"

Ananbeth came out behind him, but she cried out in pain as soon as she stood up.

Worry flashed in Percy's eyes.

Leo was amazed. He still was the protective boyfriend, dangling over the abyss of Tartarus?

Hazel tried to help Jason, pulling up with all her might, but they couldn't.

They shook their head.

Frank tried in and failed, and Nico couldn't even stand up, like Annabeth.

Percy groaned too, "Why do these things happen to us?"

Leo didn't laugh.

A voice came from the dark, bottomless pit.

"_No female? Well, that can be fixed, can't it Leo? Call the daughter of Pluto, save yourself."_

Leo shook his head "Hazel! GET AWAY FROM US! GAEA WANTS A FEMALE!"

Fear flashed in Hazel Levesque's eyes, but she didn't back down, and neither did Piper, that was now holding Percy's shoe.

"Percy" Leo said, determined to be the only one to perish "Save yourself. Annabeth needs you, and that shoe isn't going to hold on much longer."

Pain was written in Percy Jackson's featured. Suddenly, his shoe slipped a whole inch, showing his ankle.

He looked at peace "ANNABETH!" he yelled "I love you! See you soon!"

Then, to Leo, he smiled wickedly "I guess without us the world isn't going to fall to storm _or_ fire"

And then he kicked his feet and the shoe fell off.

* * *

Annabeth felt completely and utterly horrible.

While she had moaned on the floor, her boyfriend had fell to the abyss of Tartarus.

She was crying, with Hazel comforting her. It must be horrible for Hazel, Annabeth thought, liking Leo so much.

Then Percy's 'I love you' made her feel no pity for nobody but herself.

"Stupid Shoe" Jason growled, and Hedge didn't say anything.

"Are they O-K-A-Y, Nico, are they _fine_?" Piper was practically threatening the poor kid.

Nico di Angelo stood up, and Annabeth sobbed. Was this how Percy was going to look when he came back? Bloody adn without a happy memory of the sun?

"I don't know," the son of Hades said calmly, "I just know they're alive"

Piper removed her tears with her fingers, and sobbed into Jason's chest, while the son of Jupiter looked empty, like he couldn't believe Leo was missing.

Annabeth felt the need to say the obvious "You know we can't get to the House of Hades if Leo doesn't pilot the ship, right?"

Piper broke down.

* * *

The fall seemed endless, and Leo screamed all the way.

Percy tried not to listen, but Leo's crying and calling for his mother were right there, and he couldn't help but hear them all.

The son of Hephaestus was falling face-first, while Percy held him by his belt and feet. They had time to argue if it was comfortable or not.

And they fell and fell, without a stop.

For what seemed like forever.

Leo stopped crying after a half hour, and yelled "Percy, you moron! Why did you fall with me?"

He suddenly had a flashback.

Annabeth, her face pale, her smile beginning to form, like she was finally trusting him "Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain, anymore stupid questions?"

The thought of Annabeth made him want to throw up. He wanted Jason to fall with Leo, he wanted Hazel to fall with Leo, heck, even Frank or Piper would do, he only wished he could have stayed with Annabeth up there.

But letting Leo alone in Tartarus? Clearly none of the Seven had loyalty as their fatal flaw, and none of them had thought of falling with Leo to the abyss.

"I did it because you can't last five seconds without a moi, the greatest demigod"

Leo sighed "I guess we're still falling"

"No shit, Sherlock" Percy rolled his eyes as the fall knocked the air out of him.

"You know how long this will be?"

"No idea"

Leo just yelled.

"Shut up!" Percy said, feeling stupid "Monsters" he said, his voice filled with fear.

"Oh" Leo sounded very small "You'll help me kill them right?"

_Perseus,_ Gaea called to him again, _you will be devoured by my army._

He gritted his teeth "Not going to happen" he whispered, then, to Leo, he yelled "'Course, Fire Boy! Let's kick some monster ass so Hazel and Annabeth realize we're _way_ better than Nico di Angelo!"

* * *

**Did you like it? I hope you did. I made Leo humorless at the end because he just would be terrified, while Percy has faced Kronos and Annabeth's wrath. He came prepared.**

**It might turn into multichap if you liked this enough, but I'm not sure.**

**Anyway, please check out my story Iris Messaging to see Camp receive the news of Annabeth and Percy's fall.**

**Review,**

**-ChocolateIsMyDoom**


	2. In Which They Fight

**Hi there! So, first thing, THANK YOU everyone who reviewed, you are amazing and quite nice. Second, even though I didn't get that much of a demand, I will make this into a multi chap, probably five or four, dunno. So...I hope you like it, and it doesn't completely ruin the first chapter for you. xxThank You**

* * *

Piper growled.

The snake-woman hissed and bared her fangs, ready for attack.

Piper didn't worry. Every part of her being was filled with rage, fear, impotence, fury.

"This is for Leo and Percy" she whispered as she cut the monster's throat.

"Piper!" shouted Nico "Help over here!"

She turned to the tired son of Hades, and saw him alone with an earth-born. Those guys were everywhere!

She quickly ran and killed the giant before he could move another muscle.

Nico thanked her, but his voice was hollow, emotionless.

Piper turned away. She wasn't ready for this, to face the poor guy. He looked at her strangely, she noticed, with a hint of desire and curiosity in his black eyes. She had only allowed it because it was the only trace of emotion left in the demigod.

She ran to Annabeth's side.

Annabeth wasn't that much better, either. Her face was always with that permanent scowl, and she refused to talk to anyone.

Annabeth turned her head from Piper, killed the giant lizard-thingy that she had not told them what kind of monster was, though she knew, Piper was sure, and could have said their weaknesses and stuff.

There weren't any more monsters.

Hazel looked at Frank, her face covered in blood that was not hers. Frank looked back at her, a sad smile on his face, and they kissed. It was so heartwarming, Piper sighed.

Jason ran to Annabeth's side, checked to make sure she was okay (recently, the daughter of Athena had refused to say anything if she was injured. They had saved her in time from an internal bleeding when she had became delirious.).

Piper stomped her foot. She was angry. They all needed Leo there, with his sass, and Percy's way of just pairing them up, smiling at them, and accepting them all, Roman or not.

Piper was surprised the first time she had really missed Percy, not just mourned for his imminent death. It had been when Hazel and Jason had began arguing, all because Jason wanted to go to Camp Half-Blood, and Hazel refused to go anywhere without Percy and Leo.

"You're just a jerk! You don't miss them at all, don't you?" Hazel had screamed, tears running down her face "You just care about Piper!"

Jason had stood up and had glared at Hazel "I miss them just as much as you do, but –"  
"No buts!" Hazel had yelled "Maybe you cared about Leo, but you didn't give a damn about Percy!"

Jason had turned red with fury, and Piper had thought '_If Percy was here, he would have done something, he would have told them to focus, and that they need each other_'.

Since then, it had got worse and worse till the point in which Hazel didn't talk to Jason, and Frank only talked to Hazel, and Annabeth didn't talk to _anyone_. Only Piper and Nico could help making up, but the son of Hades hadn't helped.

Still, as Piper watched the greek temple for some kind of semi-naked god, she wished Percy and Leo were there.

* * *

Percy and Leo had fallen for seven nights, and seven days.

"What the heck man?" Leo had asked as they hit bottom, a kind of soft ground, as if on a beach "Some legends are not true but we get the FALLING INTO TARTARUS legend to be true? Come on!"

Percy had just shrugged "Hey, kid, let's start moving"

They were both terrified and traumatized by just the fall, but they hadn't been that close, so they felt awkward around each other. Leo didn't say anything about calling to his mother, and he didn't comment on Percy's 'I love you!' to Annabeth.

"So, how do you think the gang's doing?" he finally said, after what seemed hours of walking into darkness, without an idea of where they were going, just following some kind of labyrinth because, as Leo and Percy had discovered, they were in a hallway with walls around them.

Percy had panicked, and had started screaming like a scared child. After a while, he had stopped, but Leo hadn't said anything. He didn't need to ask. They were both horribly frightened.

"I guess they'll be at Camp Half-Blood now, helping the people in there, don't you think?" Percy answered in a whisper. Oh, right, monsters.

"Nah. Hazel and Annabeth wouldn't live without you. They're probably at the doors of this place by now, pissed off because we took seven days to fall."

Percy turned to Leo, a worried expression on his face "Hey, Leo. Hazel, Piper, Annabeth and Jason couldn't live without _you_, and I'm sure Frank would have accepted you in time."

Suddenly, as he said that, such a sadness in his voice, Leo felt sorry for the guy. So many months away from home, without news of anyone he cared about, then a week to save another Camp that he didn't really belong to, and when he's finally reunited with his girlfriend, he has to jump into Tartarus to save poor Leo.

Leo felt like a seventh wheel again. Useless, only to create trouble and separate people.

"You shouldn't have fell with me" he reminded the son of Poseidon.

He grinned in the pale light by the fire in Leo's hands "Oh, Leo, how wrong you are."

* * *

Hazel didn't even answer Jason when he asked her if she was okay, she just turned around and refused to sit with him at the dining hall.

"He's a selfish jerk," she said to Frank.

Frank tilted his head sideways "Hey, Hazel, are you sure? I mean, you used to admire him."

"I'm positive. Percy was a way better leader than Jason was." She said, chin up.

She knew Frank agreed with her, just because he had known Percy longer, but she could see he didn't quite agree of how she was treating Jason.

She sighed with exasperation and sat, "Well?" she said, facing Piper "What do we do now?"  
The ship was still. Since Leo had left, Annabeth hadn't said a word, but she had controlled the ship. They weren't sure, but it seemed like she knew three commands: _Up, Forward, To The Sides_. The daughter of Athena had sailed the ship to Greece, paying no attention to Jason when he had told her to go to Long Island, but they were pretty sure she didn't know how to put autopilot, because whenever they didn't move, Annabeth was with them.

Piper shrugged "Get to the Door of Death, I guess. Who knows if Leo and Percy are there?" she turned to Nico, and Hazel wanted to hug her brother, seeing him so pale and sad, but she maintained her cold façade.

"They're still alive" Nico said.

"I wish we could pull them up" Jason whispered, bags under his eyes "Let's just go to sleep, okay? And don't kill yourself Annabeth, I've got your knife"

They all knew it was a pointless, hollow, threat. Annabeth had a magic hat that had recently allowed her to become invisible. The daughter of Athena simply averted his eyes.

Hazel said in a loud voice, refusing to look at Jason "Can we go any faster?"

Annabeth looked at her and shook her head before exiting the room.

Piper sighed "Can't you guys stop it?" she screamed "I'm tired of your attitude Hazel, not talking to Jason isn't going to save Percy and Leo!" she snapped, and Hazel felt hurt. Why was Piper like this? "And you Frank, you know better than to put up with her! Do something! And Jason, oh Jason! Please apologize or whatever, I just can't stand it! Are Nico and I the only sane people on board? It's like Romans vs Greeks! We won't get anything if we don't work _together_!"

Piper was fuming, her eyes a beautiful ocean blue, with a hint of sea-green.

Hazel knew those eyes.

She stood up "You're right, Piper. I'm going to talk to you Jason, but don't you think I like you. I'm going to sleep. Frank?"

He shook his head, and Hazel left.

* * *

"Hey, let's split up!"

The idea had been suggested by Leo, and Percy was uneasy. Split up? It was impossible to find each other again in this darkness.

Percy shook his head "No way, man. We'll get lost."

Leo looked at the ground "Percy, I'm freaking out. If we keep following this maze, eventually, we'll get lost anyway. Either we explore by ourselves and cover more space in less time, or we'll never get out of here!"

Percy didn't react nicely to the word _maze_. He had been in the Labyrinth once, and he had been terrified all the time. He hated not choosing his own path, but following paths someone else made for him. It felt like orders.

"Okay, Leo. Just…be careful, okay?"

Leo nodded, and Percy saw the genuine fear in his eyes.

"Hey, Leo, it's okay. We're getting out. And let's find something so we can light my way into another path."

Surprisingly, they found wood on the floor. Percy thought it too convenient, but he was tired and scared and he decided not to complain. Leo lit it as a torch, and they each chose a path in a bifurcation. They had agreed not to chose paths after they went on their own, just straight lines. Besides, Leo had given Percy a phone from his tool belt (who knew there was signal in Tartarus, right?) and he had his own.

After what seemed like hours walking in a straight line, Percy heard Leo's voice.

"Percy! Help me! Percy, please!"

There was no hesitance in Percy's actions. He did not stop to think a moment, to consider if he should help Leo or not, if he should just wait and hope for a better minute to appear. No, Percy ran like a madman, not caring if the voice came from a path before him, a path which he had before decided not to cross in case he would get lost.

Suddenly, he was on a gigantic room with torches on the walls, with drawings made of blood on the floor, and a big cooking pot in the middle. Percy couldn't see Leo, but there was a big Cyclops lady there, her lips in a satisfied smile.

"Well, well." She said in Leo's voice "I knew one of those three would fall here eventually. You're with that Leo boy, aren't you? Gaea _is_ nice to Ma Gasket."

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! Just a quick reminder, Ma Gasket is the Cyclops from TLH, and you'll get to know what happened to her and Percy in the next chapter (If I'm in a good mood...)**

**Did you like the Hazel/Jason situation? I just thought, since Percy was 'the glue that kept the seven together', they would all kind of argue with each other without him, all smiles and saving people.**

**Review, favorite, follow. Please!**

**-ChocolateIsMyDoom**


	3. In Which They Arrive

**Hell-o-o! Thank You for waiting patiently for this chapter, my wonderful readers. Oh, one of you said Annabeth wouldn't react that way to Percy falling into Tartarus. That she wouldn't be silent because her boyfriend was missing from her, again. So, for you, I made a way so you'd be happy. Read the first sentece. Now that you're back, you fine? Anyway, for all my other readers: Read on! Thanks for following, favoriting, reviewing and reading!**

* * *

Annabeth screamed at the top of her lungs.

She could imagine them, confused. The thought she wasn't talking to anyone.

And she wasn't. She was _tired_ of them.

Because Percy had left her for _Leo_. He had left her for some guy he had just met. He had left her alone because of a _friend_.

Annabeth knew Percy couldn't help it. She knew he was too loyal, too perfect for their relationship to work. She had known all along she would end up alone and heartbroken because of him sacrificing himself. She just knew it.

Still… She had thought, after the Titan War, and the Separation of eight months, maybe they would be okay…?

But no. Not thanks to _Leo_.

But she screamed then. She screamed as much as she could.

Gaia shook her head in Annabeth's mind. "Child, don't resist…know you want to die…he won't come back, you know…die….let your blood spill….the grounds…sacred to me… the fountain…"

Annabeth screamed and screamed and covered her face in her hands.

As soon as she did that, the ship lurched and fell.

Gravity seemed to disappear as Annabeth screamed like a madwoman. She flew and banged her head on the ceiling.

_BANG!_ The blow made her sleepy, and Gaia's voice retreated to the corner of her mind.

But her torture was still there. Images of her friends, Grover, Rachel, Will Solace, Katie Gardner, Thalia, Piper, Leo, _Percy_, Jason, Hazel, Frank, even Clarisse and Tyson, being slaughtered and killed and burning and wincing and crying out and falling on their knees and…

Annabeth screamed as loud as she could, as if to block the horrible images.

"I HATE YOU!" she shouted to Gaia as she floated, falling at speed impossible to calculate to the ground.

"Annabeth? ANNABETH, STOP!"

It was Jason. He messed around with the controllers, almost flying towards the ceiling himself, only supported by stuff he was grabbing to hold himself in place.

_No_, Annabeth wanted to say, _the Wii controllers_.

But images of Percy dead blinded her, making her scream without coherence and no way of helping Jason.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as Jason, a look of panic on his face, pushed every button on the ship.

And, then, without no one to stop it, the ship touched ground.

* * *

Leo had been okay.

Sure, walking down the scary maze with only his fire. Freaky! Not really, not after the eidolons and the Archimedes stuff. He was already too freaked out to be even more.

He whistled as he walked, smiling happily, wondering how Percy was, and thanking the gods they had given him such a friend.

Suddenly, Leo came to a stop.

In front of him were two paths. One had the walls covered with drawings of angels and nymphs with kind smiles. The other had the walls covered in drawings and paintings. Some very important stuff, like, Da Vinci quality as far as Leo could see.

He chose to stay put. After all, he could get lost, and then, what good was he? Without some mechanical work, he was useless in a fight. He needed Percy's protection to work his magic. Riptide as a distraction, Leo could do some good stuff with only his toolbelt.

His phone buzzed. Confused, he pushed the answer button.

"Leo?"

Percy's voice surprised Leo. It wasn't cheerful or ironic, like Percy always was. In that, they were really similar. No, the voice was strained, and Percy seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"You okay, Percy?" Leo whispered.

"Nope, Leo, I'm completely fine in Tartarus. What do you think? Anyway, I found a path that may lead to sunlight. You coming?"

Leo thought about it. "Yes" he said, because something felt off. It felt familiar to him, this weird feeling. Percy's voice seemed different, somehow.

Grinning anyway, because Leo was like that, he walked back to find his friend.

* * *

The collision left Frank breathless.

He had transformed into a rhino, and had protected Hazel and Nico with his paws and his strong belly from impact, but he had taken the full blow.

He gasped, and there were dark spots in front of his eyes. That couldn't be good, could it?

"Frank" Hazel's voice sounded full of tears and pain "Are you okay?"

Frank realized he was human again. He was breathing fast, heavily, as if he couldn't get enough air. He was choking.

"Oh my gods Frank, are you _okay_?"

Piper, next to Frank, cried out in pain. She had been unprotected, and she had a knife sticking out of her leg. A kitchen knife. Otherwise, she was unharmed, which was a relief to Frank. He couldn't have lived knowing he could have saved Piper and didn't.

Nico immediately stood up and tended Pipers wounds, and Frank saw he was full of splinters and little wounds. None of them had come untouched.

He wondered how Jason and Annabeth were. Obviously, Jason hadn't stopped the ship.

Now, as Frank found it difficult to breathe, he wondered if Jason was a good leader after all.

Because if Annabeth had been where he was now, Percy would have protected her, but what about the others?

No, Frank told himself, Percy loved all of us. No, he corrected himself, _loves_.

Hazel was crying "Frank, you're hurt. Really bad."

"Take care…of Piper" he managed to choke out. He felt better already.

Wait. He didn't feel better. He just…didn't feel.

Panic woke Frank up. Suddenly he was alert and inspecting his wounds.

He was red all over his body, all his muscles bigger than what they should be. He couldn't feel his legs, and his arms were full of little pieces of wood.

Hazel was taking out the splinters, wincing as if she was hurting herself, but Frank felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

He was panicking now.

"Hazel…nectar…please" he said, his voice far away for his ears.

Hazel nodded, her face filled with tears.

She walked without steadiness, swaying to the sides, as if drunk, and Frank appreciated how damaged the ship really was.

The walls were destroyed. The stairs were blocked by all the debris. Only the floor was intact. Well, not _intact_, but good enough. Frank suspected it was all because of the Celestial Bronze.

The image of Festus the dragon filled Frank's mind. He had to find it. Leo needed that thing.

"Jason…" Piper muttered, blood dripping from her leg. She looked horrible. Her face was white.

Nico's face was ashen. He was red in all places too, like Frank, but less bruised, it seemed. His attention was on Piper. He had taken out some nectar from his pocket and was feeding her some, slowly extracting the knife from her leg. He looked mortified when she said Jason's name.

Slowly, feeling returned to Frank. He could now feel, a little, how Hazel took out every painful splinter. She looked relieved. Frank wondered if he looked better now.

They heard a noise. A scream. Then, a sob.

And Piper's weak voice "Jason…"

* * *

Percy fought. He really did.

But the Cyclops knew what she was doing, and Percy was scared and hungry and... all of it.

As he took Riptide from his pocket, Ma Gasket growled and ran towards him.

Percy sidestepped, and it reminded him of the Minotaur, four years ago.

Woah, he thought, four freaking years.

But Ma Gasket was smarter than the bull-man. In the last second, she threw a gigantic spoon at him.

Percy fell on his butt, Riptide flying out of his hand.

Having failed to defend himself with the sword and now facing the cyclops, who was smiling, Percy had an idea.

He grinned. Let's see if Ma Gasket likes hot water...

He willed the water from the pot to come out, and threw it all at Ma Gasket. He felt the burning hot temperature of the bowling water, and he smiled like crazy. Annabeth would be proud.

He ran and sat behind the pot, trying to call Leo. After all, the Cyclops would only be in pain for a few minutes, and Riptide was behind her.

But as he was about to dial Leo's number, he saw a smirking Ma Gasket before him.

"Now, now, young demigod, " she said in Piper's voice, baring her fangs at Percy "haven't you been teached that Cyclops resist fire?"

"Taught," Percy corrected before rolling out of Ma Gasket's fist.

He ran towards the sword, but it was no use.

_THUMP!_ Ma Gasket threw a rock at him and he fell unconscious to the ground.

* * *

Annabeth buried her face in Jason's hair, her screams now fading echoes in her mind.

"Jason, wake up!" she whisper-yelled, frantic. "Wake. Up!"

The young demigod was unconscious after having got hit in the head with some equipment Leo had left around the room, and splinters of wood were piercing his whole body, sucking blood.

Annabeth was worried. He had gotten unconscious so many times this week.

She wasn't any better herself. Her forehead had a big bruise in it, beating like it was a heart, making her face swell and her thinking slow. Her ankle was twisted in a way that was impossible, and pain was with her all the time.

She screamed because she couldn't do a thing. She sobbed because she missed Percy.

Jason's heart was beating, and Annabeth tried to get splinters out of his injured body. They were so close to The House of Hades now. They had only fallen because she had been attacked by Gaia.

Pictures of Annabeth's friend laying dead in the ground made her sob again, as she took more pieces of wood from his injured body. Annabeth was pleasantly surprised the ceiling hadn't crushed them, but she guessed Leo had put a bit of Celestial Bronze on every floor.

She stopped taking out splinters to stare at the room. Jason and her were alone, the stairs to the control room blocked by pieces of the walls, chairs, tables and metal devices. She screamed again, but stopped because she was probably worrying the others.

If they were still alive.

The thought made Annabeth shudder. After all, they could be dead. And it would be her fault, wouldn't it?

No, she told herself, Gaia's.

She stood up, taking care not to move her ankle, and tried to find some ambrosia.

There was none.

In rage, she punched the glass windows. Her knuckles were left filled with her own blood.

But Annabeth was fascinated.

Before her, a temple with white marble columns stood. Written in Greek on its entrance, that she easily translated, was:

_**The House of Hades.**_

* * *

**Sorry. I wasn't feeling like writing out what happened to Percy and Leo. You'll know in the next chapter, I promise.**

**So, what do you think? Good? Bad? How many chapters should I write? Do you think Nico is IC? And Frank? **

**TELL ME!**

**Review, favorite, follow, whatever thee wants.**

**-ChocolateIsMyDoom**


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